No. 1 Oklahoma vs. Tulsa

It's always hard to imagine a No. 1-ranked team losing in the opening week to an unranked opponent, and that statement remains true for this game.

That doesn't mean that Tulsa won't put up a good fight, though.

Tulsa's G.J. Kinne is back for his senior season, and he is ready to put Tulsa on the map. Last year, Kinne led the Golden Hurricanes offensive attack, which averaged the sixth highest point total per game last season at 41.4 points.

Unfortunately for Tulsa, its stand-out wide receiver Damaris Johnson has been suspended indefinitely after being questioned by the police about his girlfriend's arrest on an embezzlement complaint.

In the end, Oklahoma's talent outweighs Tulsa's at nearly every position. The Sooners also playing in Norman where they have only lost two games in the Bob Stoops era (1999-present).

The Sooners look poised to be great this season, and their success will start with an easy win over Tulsa.

No. 2 Alabama vs. Kent State

Remember when I said that great programs usually schedule a "cake" game to begin their season?

Yeah, this is one of those times.

No disrespect to Kent State, though. It just doesn't have what it takes to compete with the likes of Alabama.

With Greg McElroy, Julio Jones and Mark Ingram all in the NFL, Alabama will surely have some holes to fill in its offense.

Running back Trent Richardson is expected to step up this season as the leader of the offense. Richardson averaged 6.5 yards per carry last season and looked virtually unstoppable at times.

If the Tide can get their offense going, they may be the most well-balanced team in the country. Alabama finished with the third-ranked defense in the NCAA last season, and it has the chance to even better that this season.

Alabama will pick up a more than easy victory at home against an utterly defenseless Kent State squad.

No. 3 Oregon at No. 4 LSU

This game was a lot more interesting before the Jordan Jefferson scandal. Jefferson, who was the projected starting QB for the Tigers, will definitely be out for this game.

That puts backup quarterback Jarrett Lee in the starting lineup. In limited time last season, Lee completed 54-of-89 pass attempts for 573 yards and two touchdowns.

This time around, Lee will have one less target to throw to. Starting wide receiver Russell Shepard will also miss the season opener for an unrelated NCAA rules violation.

Before all this happened, I would have given a slight edge to LSU. The game is in Dallas, so the crowd is going to be LSU-dominant, and I really just thought LSU might be more talented.

Without Jefferson and Shepard, though, Oregon gets an immediate edge. LaMichael James should be a focal point for the Ducks in this game, so if LSU can stop the run and get average to above average play out of Lee, it might still have a chance.

Regardless, it's going to be an uphill battle for the Tigers, and I'm not just talking about this game.

Look for the game to be close until Oregon pulls away in the fourth quarter.

No. 5 Boise State at No. 19 Georgia

This could very well be the most interesting game in Week 1: an experienced, well-trained Boise State team meets a young and extremely athletic Georgia squad.

The current line on this game is Boise (-3), and I think that's going to be about right.

Kellen Moore is back for his senior season and should post good enough numbers for Heisman Trophy contention.

Last season, Moore threw for 3,506 yards and 33 touchdowns. He was sixth in the nation in passing yards per game, and the Broncos as a whole had the second highest scoring team in the nation at 45.1 points per game.

But Boise State isn't all offense; it also had the second best defense in the nation, only allowing 12.8 points per game.

Of course, these stats are inflated due to the lack of competition the Broncos are always up against, but they are still a very, very good team.

Georgia, on the other hand, is coming off a disappointing season in which it finished 6-7. The Bulldogs hope to build on their disappointment and draw from their limited experience this season.

Even though losing A.J. Green hurts, the Bulldogs still return 14 starters. It might take some time for the Bulldogs to develop, but they will be good this year.

Unfortunately for them, the Broncos are good already. Because this game is being played in Georgia, the Bulldogs should benefit from crowd support and have enough adrenaline going to keep them in the game.

They might even hold a lead for the majority of the second half, but in the end, Moore and the Broncos will get the job done.

No. 6 Florida State vs. Louisiana-Monroe

Sure, I could be a realist and say that Florida State is more talented than Louisiana-Monroe, therefore LMU stands very little chance, but where's the fun in that?

If this game were in Louisiana rather than Florida, I'd even make it closer than three touchdowns. Regardless, I think LMU will cover the current spread (+28.5) and make things tough for Florida State, even if it is only for a quarter or two.

With first-round draft pick Christian Ponder gone, you would think FSU would have a tough transition period trying to find a replacement. That's not the case.

E.J. Manuel is getting high praise from his peers. The junior quarterback who has only started six games in his two-year career was picked to be the ACC's preseason first-team QB.

In his limited playing time, Manuel has certainly shown he can get the job done, and his size makes him very imposing: 6'5" and 245 pounds.

He can throw, he can run and he can win. That should be the recipe for a winning season at FSU.

No. 7 Stanford vs. San Jose State

This season Stanford has to prove to both the fans and themselves that it isn't just "The Andrew Luck Show."

This can be thrown out the window for its Week 1 matchup against San Jose State.

San Jose State finished 1-12 in a weak WAC conference last season, but to be fair, it was under a first-year head coach, did fall victim to injuries and played a really tough non-conference schedule that had it playing at Wisconsin and Alabama.

The good news for the Spartans is they didn't lose any starters on defense. The bad news is they gave up 463.7 yards per game last season, which was good enough to rank them No. 117 out of 120 NCAA teams.

San Jose State will probably finish better than 1-12 this season, but its win streak won't start at Stanford.

Luck, a Heisman Trophy hopeful and future No. 1 NFL draft pick, should be able to throw all over the Spartans defense.

This game should just be one step up from full-contact practice for the Cardinals.

No. 8 Texas A&M vs. Southern Methodist

A&M should take care of business in this game. Like most of the other games so far, one team (A&M) has better talent and it's playing in front of their home crowd.

Speaking of which, Kyle Field is one of the toughest places to play in college football. A&M's infamous "12th Man" should be all over Southern Methodist in Week 1.

But for some reason, I really like the idea of SMU making this a close game.

SMU is returning 18 of its starters this season, including junior QB Kyle Padron and junior RB Zach Line.

Last season, Padron threw for 3,828 yards and 31 touchdowns while Line ran for 1,494 yards and 10 touchdowns.

SMU ended up finishing 7-7 in C-USA last season, and I like it as an underdog favorite to win it this year.

As much as I like putting all my hope into this SMU team, A&M really will have too much talent and experience.

A&M basically returns its entire offense and really only has to replace Von Miller on defense. I'm not saying "only" like it will be easy to replace a No. 2 draft pick, but the Aggies should be feeling good if they only lost one key player on defense.

Senior wide receiver Jeff Fuller should stand out in this game. If he has a great season, like most expect he will, Fuller should be a first-round draft pick.

SMU will surprise some people in this game, but A&M will prove to be victorious.

No. 9 Oklahoma State vs. Louisiana-Lafayette

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Upset Alert: Very Low

Final Score Prediction: 55-21, Oklahoma State

Kendall Hunter has moved on to the NFL where he has proven himself in the preseason for the San Francisco 49ers, but QB Brandon Weeden and star wide receiver Justin Blackmon are going to keep OSU's offense relevant all season.

Louisiana-Lafayette finished 3-9 in the Sun Belt last season, but that didn't stop it from giving OSU a scare.

The Ragin' Cajuns actually held a halftime lead on the Cowboys last season, but that was quickly put to rest in the second half. The Cowboys eventually won 54-28, but not without making a lot of mistakes.

This season, the Cowboys appear to be even better, and the Cajuns are going through a coaching change and only return five starters on their offense.

They just won't have the firepower to keep up.

One thing to watch for in this game will be the battle between each team's best offensive threat.

For OSU, Blackmon is a Heisman Trophy candidate and an assured top 10 draft pick. For Lafayette, Ladarius Green is a 6'6", 230-pound playmaker at tight end.

Both will end up in the NFL, but which will end up on top in this game?

No. 11 Wisconsin vs. UNLV

Wisconsin lost some few key starters off its fifth-ranked offense, including QB Scott Tolzien, but sophomore RB James White is poised to have a great season.

As a freshman, White ran for 1,052 yards and 14 touchdowns. He did this while averaging 6.7 yards a carry. This was good enough for fifth in the country.

White could definitely be a dark horse contender for the Heisman Trophy, especially if Wisconsin wins the Big Ten.

For UNLV, its hopes and dreams look a little different this season. After finishing 2-11 in the Mountain West, the Rebels are only returning 12 starters and are one of the youngest teams in college football.

To be honest, this could very well be a bigger blowout than 45-10, I was just trying to give UNLV some credit.

No. 15 Arkansas vs. Missouri State

Arkansas should definitely feel the loss of star QB Ryan Mallett, who is now Tom Brady's backup in New England, but junior Tyler Wilson will step in and do a good impression of Mallett this season.

Wilson only earned one start last season (when Mallett was injured) and he did not lead his team to victory. Granted, the loss came against eventual NCAA champion Auburn, but that still couldn't have felt great.

He played well, though. He completed 25-of-34 passes for 332 yards and four touchdowns. This should be a good sign of things to come this season.

The passing game should definitely be opened up because junior running back Knile Davis returns and is poised for a great year. He averaged 6.5 yards per carry last season and led the Razorbacks with 1,322 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns.

The biggest question concerning the Razorbacks will be their offensive line where they have to replace three starters, but that shouldn't be much of a concern against Missouri State.

No. 21 Missouri vs. Miami (OH)

Miami (OH) is not only going to beat the +17 spread, it's going to make it laughable.

I would have it beating Missouri in this game, but I can't go against Missouri at home in a season opener.

Instead, this should be an exciting Week 1 matchup that surprises a lot of people.

Miami (OH) finished last season with a 10-4 record including a bowl victory against Middle Tennessee. This year it returns 17 starters (eight on offense, nine on defense) and look poised to take full control of the MAC.

Almost all of Missouri's offense returns, except for one big change: QB Blaine Gabbert was drafted.

Let's not kid ourselves, Gabbert was great. Sophomore QB James Franklin is going to have to step in and make some big contributions in his first start to get Missouri by Miami (OH).

And yes, I'm aware that Missouri beat—no, that's not the right word—destroyed this team 51-13 last season, but that was last season.

No. 22 Florida vs. Florida Atlantic

This season has the potential to be different, and starting off with an easy win against Florida Atlantic should help things get going.

The key to the Gators this season will be the hopefully improved play of senior QB John Brantley. As a junior, Brantley threw for just more than 2,000 yards for nine touchdowns, but he also threw 10 interceptions.

Florida's rushing attack looks promising with seniors Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps likely to split time, but in order for them to produce, Brantley is going to have to be able to take pressure off them.

New head coach Will Muschamp will bring a level of intensity to the Gators this season that will hopefully spark some quality play.

Week 1 should be a good game to see where they're currently at and where they need to be.

Look for Florida to have some awkward first quarter possessions, but to turn it around quickly.

No. 23 Auburn vs. Utah State

Even though Auburn is only returning eight starters and looks to be in rebuilding mode, the Tigers shouldn't have too much trouble against Utah State.

I say this for two reasons: Utah State lost its best player, Diondre Borel, to the NFL draft and the game is being played in Auburn.

Like Florida, Auburn is going to be anchored by its running game this season.

Sophomore Michael Dyer and junior Onterio McCalebb might be the best running back tandem in college football.

Like most good tandems, their style of play compliments each other. McCalebb, who rushed for more than 800 yards last season, is built for speed. Dyer, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards last season, is more of a hard-nosed, find the hole-type of runner.

Obviously, the loss of Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 draft pick Cam Newton is going to hurt, but the Tigers don't have the leeway to mourn.

Junior QB Barrett Trotter is going to have to step up if Auburn wants to continue its winning ways.

This week will be a sloppy victory for the Tigers, but they won't be able to win like that every week.

No. 25 USC vs. Minnesota

Minnesota was ranked No. 98 out of 120 in terms of defense last season, but it is returning nine starters.

Unfortunately, it still isn't going to be any good.

USC QB Matt Barkley is going to be able to slice through the Golden Gophers defense rather easily. Senior running back Marc Tyler should also have a big game.

The Trojans are looking to improve on an 8-5 season, but realistically, eight wins is probably a solid number for this season as well.

Minnesota has a new coaching staff that is looking to turn around a 3-9 season, but that isn't going to happen in the Big Ten this year. At best, Minnesota is a five-win team, but it could realistically only win two or three and I wouldn't be surprised.